Bottle or can carrying device



Jan. 26, 1965 w. e. HEWLINGS BOTTLE OR CAN CARRYING DEVICE Filed May 21, 1962 United States Patent Ofifice 3,167,347 Eatented Jan. 26, 1965 3, 7, V BOTTLE R CAN CARRYING DEVICE Winston G. Hewliiigs, 11778 St. Germain Eli d, Mpntreal, Quebec, (Ianada Filed May 21, 1962, Sen No. 195,178 2 Claims; (Cl. 294-873.)

The present invention relates to improvements in the construction of bottle carriers and more particularly to a carrying handle particularly suited for carrying packaged bottles.

At the present time, various bottled beverages, for example beer, are being packaged in six-pack containers which completely envelop the bottles leaving the necks and caps only protruding. This makes the package somewhat difficult to carry particularly if more than one is carrieed at a time.

In accordance with the present invention, a simple inexpensive carrying handle is provided which makes it easy to carry one or two such packages joined together as a unit. More specifically, the bottle carrier of the invention consists of a one piece body of plastic material that is shaped to provide an upright carrying handle with an extension of said handle providing a bottle engaging and supporting web. In one preferred construction, the web extends at substantially right angles from both sides of the handle and in an alternative construction the web is provided at only one side of the handle. In both constructions, the web is provided with a plurality of spaced apart holes, four in the double web and two in the single web, which are of a size adapting them to fit snugly over the tops of the bottles or similarly shaped cans. The preferred material utilized for the present carriers is a pliable or semi-rigid plastic which will provide the necessary structural strength while permitting a deflection or expansion of the material surrounding the holes in the webs as they are forced over the caps.

Having thus generally described the nature of the invention particular reference will be made to the accompanying drawings showing byway of illustration a pre- FIGURE 4 is a view in perspective elevation of an alternate form of bottle carrier according to the invention.

With particular reference to the drawings, the carrier handle of the invention may be of two different forms,

the preferred form indicated at having a one-piece plastic body providing a handle portion 12 and webs surrounding the hole 16 with the necks of the bottles B to be increased ensuring the connection between the handie and the carried cartons (see FIGURE 3). It should be noted that the preferred material utilized is one of the semi-rigid pliable plastics for example, polyethylene or the like, in order to permit deflection or distortion of the material surrounding the holes 16 permitting engagement over the bottle caps while providing adequate strength to withstand the considerable stresses imposed.

The location and spacing of the holes 16 on each web 14 relative to the handle 12 is an important feature in the present carrier handle construction. As will be noted, by reference to FIGURE 2 for example, the holes 16 are disposed in equally spaced apart relationship from the centre of the handle opening 12a so as to provide clearance for the entry of the hand and to provide a balanced distribution of weight. The holes 16 are also equi-distant from each other transversely of the handle 12 so that the carrier may be engaged with the cartons with the handle 12 in the opposite direction to that shown or may be engaged with any four bottles in one carton for carrying purposes. If three (3) holes were utilized, the central one would be necessarily located mid-way of the handle opening making it unsuitable for the applicants purpose.

In the alternative construction shown in FIGURE 4 and indicated at 110, the handle portion 112 is the same as previously described with the single web 114 provided with two (2) bottle engaging openings 116. This construction would be used to carry a single container by pressing the web 114 over the tops of the two end or two crown capped bottles protrude, said carrier handle com Uprising a one-piece body of semi-rigid pliable. plastic 14 extending at substantially right angles from each side of the handle portion. The handle 12 is provided with four (4) holes 16 of size fitting snugly of the caps or crowns A" of the bottles B so that when the webs 14 are pressed over the two end bottles B in a pair of "As shown most clearly in FIGURE 2, when the carrier'10 is utilized in this manner, the weight of the two adjacent containers C is concentrated at their meeting ends thus tending to force the upper end portions outwardly against the joining webs of the carrier. This causes the frictional engagement of the web portions material having an upright rigid handle portion with a handle opening and at least one web portion extendng at substantally right angles from the lower edge of said handle portion and being held in substantially fixed relationship therewith, said web portion being provided with a pair of bottle neck engaging openings equally spaced apart relative to the center of said handle portion, said web portion in alignment with said handle center portion being imperforate, each of said bottle neck engaging openings having a diameter slightly less than the diameter of said bottle crown caps, said web portion openings deformably engaging about two bottle necks extending through said container cover portion, the Web portions surrounding said openings being deformed sufliciently to pass over said crown caps, said container being readily lifted by said handle, the unobstructed central portion of said web portion permitting free access and movement of ones fingers through the handle opening of the carrier.

2. A molded bottle carrier handle as claimed in claim 1 in which said carrier includes a second web portion similar to said first one web portion, said second web portion extending from said rigid handle opposite said first one web porton.

Failor Aug. 25, 1953 Glazer May 29, 1962 

1. A MOLDED BOTTLE CARRIER HANDLE AND AT LEAST ONE FULLY LOADED "SIX-PACK" BEVERAGE CONTAINER OF THE TYPE HAVING A COVER PORTION THROUGH WHICH THE NECKS OF CROWN CAPPED BOTTLES PROTRUDE, SAID CARRIER HANDLE COMPRISING A ONE-PIECE BODY OF SEMI-RIGID PLIABLE PLASTIC MATERIAL HAVING AN UPRIGHT RIGID HANDLE PORTION WITH A HANDLE OPENING AND AT LEAST ONE WEB PORTION EXTENDING AT SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT ANGLES FROM THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID HANDLE PORTION AND BEING HELD IN SUBSTANTIALLY FIXED RELATIONSHIP THEREWITH, SAID WEB PORTION BEING PROVIDED WITH A PAIR OF BOTTLE NECK ENGAGING OPENINGS EQUALLY SPACED APART RELATIVE TO THE CENTER OF SAID HANDLE PORTION, SAID WEB PORTION IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID HANDLE CENTER PORTION BEING IMPERFORATE, EACH OF SAID BOTTLE NECK ENGAGING OPENINGS HAVING A DIAMETER SLIGHTLY LESS THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID BOTTLE CROWN CAPS, SAID WEB PORTION OPENINGS DEFORMABLY ENGAGING ABOUT TWO BOTTLE NECKS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID CONTASINER COVER PORTION, THE WEB PORTIONS SURROUNDING SAID OPENINGS BEING DEFORMED SUFFICIENTLY TO PASS OVER SAID CROWN CAPS, SAID CONTAINER BEING READILY LIFTED BY SAID HANDLE, THE UNOBSTRUCTED CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID WEB PORTION PERMITTING FREE ACCESS AND MOVEMENT OF ONE''S FINGERS THROUGH THE HANDLE OPENING OF THE CARRIER. 